Eve Merriam's papers focus on her work as an author and editor of children's and young adult books, with an emphasis on her poetry. The collection contains production materials for 53 titles published between 1959-1994, and also includes production material for titles not verified as published. The collection contains holographs, typescripts, research material, front matter, notes, reviews, clippings, royalty statements and agreements, promotional pieces, biographical information, proofs, dummies, book jackets, photocopies of illustrative material, miscellaneous material, correspondence, posters, and projects done by school children and sent to Ms. Merriam.

Collection is open for researchers with no restrictions. Registration with the collection is required.

Copyright:

This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.

Arrangement

Ab to Zoog: A Lexicon for Science Fiction and Fantasy Readers,

Andy All Year Round,

Bam Zam Boom!: A Building Book,

Birthday Cow, The,

Birthday Door, The,

Blackberry Ink: Poems,

Boys and Girls, Girls and Boys,

Catch a Little Rhyme,

Cat in the Box, The,

Chortles: New and Selected Wordplay Poems,

Christmas,

Christmas Box, The,

Daddies at Work,

Don't Think About a White Bear,

Do You Want to See Something?,

Epaminondas,

Fighting Words,

Finding a Poem,

Fresh Paint,

Funny Town,

Gaggle of Geese, A,

Good Night to Annie,

Halloween A B C,

Higgle Wiggle: Happy Rhymes,

I Am a Man: Ode to Martin Luther King Jr.,

I Saw a Fish on Broadway,

If Only I Could Tell You: Poems for Young Lovers and Dreamers,

Independent Voices,

It Doesn't Always Have to Rhyme,

Jamboree: Rhymes for All Times,

Little Tree, The,

Love Poems for Teenagers,

Male and Female Under 18: Frank Comments . . .,

Miscellaneous material,

Miss Tibbett's Typewriter,

Mommies at Work,

NCTE Acceptance Speech, Nov. 1981

Out Loud,

Poem for a Pickle, A: Funnybone Verses,

Poetry Anthology, Volume 2,

Project 1-2-3,

Projects done by schoolchildren,

Quiet, Please,

Rainbow Writing,

Rhyme is a Jumprope, A,

Singing Green, The: New and Selected Poems for All Seasons,

Sky Full of Poems,

Small Fry,

Story of Ben Franklin, The,

There is No Rhyme for Silver,

Train Leaves the Station,

12 Ways to Get to 11,

Unhurry Harry,

Voice of Liberty, The: The Story of Emma Lazarus,

What Can You Do With a Pocket?,

What's in the Middle of the Riddle?,

Where is Everybody?: An Animal Alphabet,

Who Is a Left-Hander?,

Wise Woman and Her Secret, The,

Word Or Two With You, A,

You Be Good and I'll Be Night: Jump-on-the-Bed Poems,

Biographical Sketch

Eve Merriam was born July 19, 1916, in Philadelphia, Penn. She attended Cornell U., and the U. of Pennsylvania-Philadelphia, graduating with an A. B. in 1937. She had two sons, Guy and Dee, with her second husband, Martin Michel. She worked as a copywriter, radio writer, editor, and poet, and began writing children's books in the 1950s. Her first published works for children included biographies of famous Americans such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Emmas Lazarus. It was as a poet for children that she became best known. In 1960 she published A Gaggle of Geese , a picture book that delights in word play and sound, that young children can easily understand and enjoy. She continued to write poetry for the next three decades, imbuing many of her works with her keen observations of the good and bad aspects of contemporary life, including popular culture and the problems she considered crucial to social progress and human life, such as ecology, feminism, racial equality, and an awareness of political realities. Some critics have panned some of these 'serious' works for placing too much emphasis on social issues, and consider her lighter verse her best. Throughout her long career, Merriam used a variety of different literary forms to reach readers and get them to extend their horizons. She also translated other authors' works, and edited anthologies for children and young adults. Eve Merriam died April 11, 1992.
Biographical Sources:
Something About the Author, vols. 3, 40, 73
Children's Literature Review, vol. 14

Collection Scope and Content Note

The collection contains production material for 53 titles published between 1959-94, including one under the pseudonym Dana Michel. It also includes material for titles not verified as published. The collection includes holographs, typescripts, research material, notes, front matter, clippings, reviews, royalty statements and agrements, promotional pieces, biograpahical information, proofs, dummies, book jackets, photocopies of illustrative material, muscellaneous material such as flyers and book catalogs, a substantial amount of correspondence, posters, and art and poetry projects done by school children and sent to Ms. Merriam. It also includes as typescript for the NCTE acceptance speech for November, 1891.

Subject Terms

Indexing Terms

The collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.